HOOPER WANTS TO GET STARTED

GARY Hooper admits experiencing a feel-good factor after getting his Norwich City career up and running by training with his new team-mates for the first time.

The 25-year-old signed from Scottish champions Celtic on Friday for an undisclosed fee, and is determined to make the most of his chance in English football’s top flight.

“It feels good. I’ve trained a few times and the lads and the staff are brilliant,” he said at his first press conference in yellow and green on Monday.

“I’ve wanted to play in the Premier League since I was a little kid and hopefully it will give me more chance to get in the England squad. I think there’s a good chance of that.

“I wanted to come here and play in the Premier League. I’ve never played there – I’ve played and scored in every other league and the Premier League was the next challenge.

“My first thing is to get picked and start playing, then hopefully the goals will come.”

City manager Chris Hughton was also on hand to give his thoughts to the media, and he added that Hooper fits the bill perfectly.

“Gary’s been on our radar for some time now. What attracted us to him was his goalscoring record – not just at Celtic, but at each of the clubs he’s been at. He’s a player that’s continued to make progress over the years and he has a very good profile.

“There’s a wonderful challenge for him ahead – there’s certainly still development and improvement in his game with the age that Gary is now.”